need some ideas on building a terrarium

[Exotic Ectotherms]

I would never recommend having any heat source the animal has access to hotter than 95ºF ever!!!

So are you saying that RHP's are unsafe??? I'm pretty sure the manufacturers of them would disagree. A lot of people use them and I have never heard of one snake getting burnt from one.

That is how radiant heat panels work. They are hotter on the surface so they can project the heat down to the bottom of the cage...therefore raising ambient temps. They are safe because they are basically flush with the top of the enclosure and the animal cannot rest its body on it.

I do agree that PVC would be easier to clean if you can find some to use on your cage. It can be somewhat hard to come by and kinda pricey though.